Artificial Sweetener
by bellz.on.strings
Summary: Uglies AU in which Tally never meets Shay. Tally has been waiting for her sixteenth birthday since as long as she can remember, but just when Tally thought her life as a New Pretty was about to begin, something goes terribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alternate reality in which Tally never meets Shay. A work in progress. – Bellz

Chapter 1

Tally Youngblood hated waiting, hated the sterile, yellow smell of hospitals. She kicked at her duffle bag at her feet, her twittering nerves making her want to get up and run off her anxiety. It was as though every eye in the room was on her, and this thought made her begin to perspire, the sweat making her skin crawl. She picked at a scab on her elbow, feeling dirty and ugly.

The boy across from her didn't seem nervous at all. He had somehow gotten his interface ring to play music here in the hospital, but he had it turned down so that only he could hear it. Tally twisted her own interface ring, wishing that Paris would send her a ping to ease the tension in the room, until she remembered that pings weren't allowed in the hospital either. She sighed, sliding down in her seat in a vain attempt to ease the bloated, nervous pain that clenched her belly.

"Ten more minutes," she whispered to herself, prodding her interface ring to tell her the time. She sighed, glancing around the room for what seemed like the millionth time.

The room was small, with only half a dozen occupied chairs along the wall. To her right was a window where a middle pretty nurse with waves of auburn curls sat dictating to the screen in front of her. Tally watched as her words scrolled up the screen, and somehow, the cadence of the pretty's voice seemed to untie the solid knot in Tally's gut. Like all uglies, Tally instinctively trusted middle pretties. Their calm warmth and gentle faces inspired instant trust and friendliness, and if they weren't nervous then there was nothing to be scared off. Tally sighed, letting herself relax for the first time in an hour.

Tally had always dreamed of being pretty. Growing up, she had spent hours staring at herself in the mirror, fussing and sighing over flaws that she could not wait to be rid of come her sixteenth birthday. She would pay rapt attention during science class when the teachers talked about the operation that would transform her from an ugly duckling into a gorgeous, glittering swan, thinking that that fateful day could not come soon enough.

And now, that day had come, but unfortunately, Tally hadn't counted on the pre-operation waiting. Death toll and post-op deformity statistics flashed through her ugly brain and she wished nothing more than to run back to her dorm and tell them that she could wait until next year. The nurse's pretty-effect was wearing off and Tally began to twist her ring with renewed vigor, wondering if she was fast enough to make a break for it.

But just when she had convinced herself that she just might make it out, the pretty nurse stood up and called her name.

"Tally. It's time."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The doctor was an olive-skinned middle pretty with strong hands and a warm, confident smile. When he gave her hand a firm shake, Tally felt the fear melt from her fingertips and she grinned.

"So, Tally," he said, sitting with his hands on his knees. "How are you feeling?" She shrugged, and he winked at her amicably, as if they were already friends. "I know what you mean. I just about ran for it when I got my op." Tally thought about her thoughts of flight and blushed.

"Everyone gets scared," he said, as if reading her mind. "But don't worry. There's a ninety-nine percent success rate and that one percent non-success just refers to minor problems. 'Ugly' relapses, as we call them." He chuckled. "Nothing serious, just some occasional skin problems like acne, and sometimes immune systems problems, which just means that you might get the sniffles in the winter." He smiled at her. "And all that's fixable later. Piece of cake, right?" Tally nodded, feeling relieved.

"Okay," he continued. "That's the speech. Any questions?"

Tally thought for a moment. "I heard in one of my classes," she said slowly, "that people have died on the table, or that it's gotten messed up and they end up ugly forever." She swallowed, not wanting to sound as though she was contradicting the doctor. "What are the chances of that happening to me?"

To her relief, the doctor took her hand and smiled. "Zero. We've all but eliminated table deaths and deformities. The last operation-related death was over ten years ago, so there's absolutely no reason to worry." He grinned and patted her hand. "Are you all ready to go?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The plastic dressing gown that the nurse gave her stuck to Tally's legs and made her feel naked and shivery. She grimaced, looking down at her skinny, cold-mottled legs, trying to envision them long and golden, but failing miserably. She stuck her tongue out at them.

"Okay, Tally, here we go," said a short-haired nurse, sticking her head into the dressing room. "All set?" Tally nodded and followed the nurse down a hallway that seemed too long, too bright. Her bare feet slapped the cold tile, echoing off the walls.

At the end of the hallway, the nurse opened a door and led Tally into a bright, tiny room filled with smiling doctors. To the right was a huge screen that covered the entire wall. Anatomy graphs, chemical formulas, and equations the sent Tally's head spinning beeped and flashed across the wide expanse and gave Tally the impression of scientific grandeur.

On the other side of the room was a wide tube that reminded Tally of a huge drinking straw that extended from ceiling to floor.

"Okay, Tally, first thing we need to do is get a full-body scan," said the short-haired nurse, leading Tally past the doctors towards the tube. "What I need you to do is step right in here and remove your dressing gown." She opened a door on the side of the tube and indicated for Tally to step inside. Tally obeyed, peeling away the gown and handing it to the nurse. "Now, I just need you to stand still for a few minutes so we can get a nice scan, alright? Don't wiggle around." Tally nodded, immediately feeling itchy, knowing that she couldn't scratch.

The tube hummed around her as it scanned her from top to bottom, taking in every detail and flaw. Tally tried not to breathe too fast, tried not to think. Finally, the machine beeped to a halt and the smiling nurse opened the door and handed Tally her dressing gown.

When Tally stepped from the tube, she saw the scan up on the screen on the opposite wall, her body reduced to grids and lines that mapped her organs, her skin, her fingers and toes. To her embarrassment, her height and weight were listed beside her.

"Here, Tally," said the nurse. "Come sit up here." She waved at the table beside her and Tally clambered up.

"Right, Tally, we're going to put you to sleep now," said a tall, serious-looking middle pretty. "Any last questions before we begin?" Tally shook her head and the doctor smiled. "Very mature. Alright, here we go." He handed her a face mask. "Breathe into this and we'll see you in a few hours, okay?" Tally held the mask to her mouth and before she could nod to the doctors, she sank away from the room. The last thing she saw was the grid of her own body morphing from a duckling to a swan.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The first thing Tally heard when she awoke came as a surprise to her. Instead of the quiet hum of a hospital room, she heard panicked voices above her.

"Don't worry, I don't think she'll wake up for another couple of minutes," said a male voice. "That's plenty of time to get her in the hover car."

"How bad is it?" said the voice of the short-haired nurse. "She'll be okay, won't she?"

There was a long pause before the male voice answered. "She'll live."

Tally felt her limp body being lifted, then redeposited on a hard surface. She tried to speak, but pain overwhelmed her and she groaned instead. Every muscle in her body ached, worse than the mother of all work-outs, and her eyelids seemed too heavy to lift.

"Okay," said the male voice, so close to Tally's ear that she startled. "She's all set to go. Get her out of here."

"What are you going to tell the authorities?" said the nurse on Tally's other side. "And her parents?" The nurse's tone held a note of panic that Tally had never heard in a middle pretty's voice before, and the terrifying novelty of it sent shivers down her spine.

"We'll tell them what we tell all the others: she never showed up. We'll send the authorities out to look for her and they'll give up in a week or two. End of story." There was a clunk like that of a door shutting and the hum of an engine told Tally that she was in a hover craft. Terrified, she forced her eyes open and found herself staring into the face of a middle pretty with long black hair.

"Sorry, kid," said the pretty. "No New Pretty Town for you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Where am I?" Tally asked, her throat hoarse. She sat up slowly, touching her tender face with one finger. "Am I Pretty?" The middle Pretty with the long hair blinked.

"Here," she said after a moment of tense silence. "You'd have found out soon enough anyway." She handed Tally a mirror, closing her eyes as the girl screamed.

The face that stared back was a horror. The cheekbones bulged grotesquely; the chin was narrowed to a point. The eyes seemed as though they had been drained of color, leaving only two silver iris discs and a pair of wide pupils that stared up from the glass. The urge to scream bubbled up Tally's chest, a string of salty pearls in her throat, but she couldn't move. All she could do was stare.

"How?" Tally gasped after a full minute of electric silence, her new, grotesque-Pretty lips trembling. "How could they mess up so badly?"

The middle Pretty delicately eased the mirror from Tally's shaking hands. "Just technical errors."

There was a split-second of silence before the fullness of what the Pretty had said hit Tally. "Technical errors?" she repeated, stunned. "Technical errors?" Like she was a broken toy with a botched repair job. "Just technical errors." She ran her fingers through her still-Ugly hair, laughing. "Is that all?" Her laughs turned into sobs and she screamed. "Technical errors!" She snatched the mirror from the Pretty and threw it against the floor of the hovercraft. Glass splashed against the walls, an orchestra of destruction.

The middle Pretty was stunned for a moment. "Now, Tally," she said finally, putting a hand on Tally's shaking shoulder. "That's no way to deal with your anger."

"Get off me!" Tally screeched, jerking away from the Pretty. For the first time in her life, she hated a Pretty, hated that perfect, symmetrical face with those wide, inviting eyes. "Just get away from me!" She sank, sobbing, against the safety straps that held her chained to her seat. Tally heard the Pretty huff and turn towards her window. She didn't care; she wouldn't have cared if the Pretty had said, "Well, goodbye," and thrown herself out the hovercraft window. All she wanted was to be with Peris on some party spire in New Pretty Town, drinking her cares away, beautiful and free. No, that seemed to grand a dream; she wouldn't have even minded being back at the dorms, grimacing at her ugly self, waiting for that fateful day when she would close her eyes to dream Pretty dreams under the hot lights of reinvention.

But that day had come and past, and everything she had ever hoped, every light and star of New Pretty Town, a thousand miles away and fading.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

They flew for what seemed like days, but Tally's interface ring, which the middle Pretty had restored to her, told her that it was only five in the evening. They had been flying for seven hours. Below, sweeping plains blurred as they sped past. Mountains marched along in the distance, and occasionally, the skeleton of an old Rusty city passed underneath them.

For some reason, every time Tally saw those broken metal frames, she felt tears sting her eyes. She was like them, those Rusties: forgotten, broken, and doomed to perpetual ugliness.

She had given up crying long ago. Now, exhaustion settled on her like a sick weight. The middle Pretty had explained to her that she was going to a place where people would help her, but when Tally had inquired as to whether they would be able to turn her pretty, the middle Pretty looked away and fell silent.

Now all she could do was wait. To pass the time, she flipped through old pings. She couldn't send new ones; her interface ring had been reprogrammed to only allow certain functions, but the old ones still brought Tally some comfort.

The first one was new ping from Peris. He must have sent it while she was under the knife.

"Hey birthday girl!" said Peris's new, pretty voice. The sound of it made Tally smile. "Can't wait to see you, Squint. I'm going to a party this afternoon at Sal's, but I promise I'm gonna be there when you get here. It's been so long since I've seen you." The voice laughed. "Well, except for your little visit, but that doesn't count." Peris laughed again. "Anyways, I'm totally confusion-making, so I'm gonna shut up now. Can't wait to see you pretty, pretty. Later." The ping ended with a beep.

"Save or delete?" said the ring's tinny, digital voice.

Tally paused. "Save or delete?" the ring prompted. Finally, Tally told it to save. She might never hear his voice again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was called Haven, as if that was some sort of consolation, hidden well past the mountains that marked the boundary between the limits of civilization and the untamed emptiness beyond. Ugly territory to the max.

The hovercraft circled Haven twice before being waved down. Tally, who had fallen asleep hours before, opened her eyes as the hovercraft touched the red earth with a puff of dirt that drifted up past the windows. There was a pause, then the engines of the hovercraft died, the sudden silence making Tally's ears buzz.

"Where are we?" Tally asked, but the middle Pretty was looking nervously out the window, her long fingers tapping the window in an anxious rhythm. Feeling sick, Tally unbuckled her seat belt and got up to get a better look outside.

Row after row of low gray barracks stretched out before her until they melted into the red horizon. There was no movement, no sound, no breath of wind, and the utter desolation of it made Tally gasp with a sudden sense of incomprehensible isolation. She twisted her ring vigorously, panic clutching her.

Just then, a break in the stillness caught Tally's eye. A figure bobbed towards them from out of the dust, a mere silhouette in the fading light. There was something strange in the way the figure moved. It did not run with the slender grace of a pretty, but with the uncomely gait of a bird, hopping stoutly across the dirt. Tally squinted, trying to get a better look. The dusky light was like a film over her eyes, making the world a land of paper lines and shades of gray.

"Who are you?" she whispered, her breath fogging the glass.

There was a tap at the door as the figure reached the hovercraft. Tally frowned and sank back into her seat. She didn't want to know who the person was, nor what he wanted. She didn't like the situation. The tapping continued, and Tally glanced over at the Pretty.

"Aren't you going to do something?" she inquired, but the Pretty just stared at the door with blank eyes.

The tapping had flattened into a low rhythm.

"Hello?" said a voice from outside. "Unlock the door."

Finally, Tally stood and slowly pushed the button beside the door. It opened with a hiss, reminding Tally of the ancient Rusty sci-fi films they showed at school in history class, when the door to the mother ship opened to reveal the hideous alien invaders.

Well, he wasn't an alien, anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

He was like no Ugly Tally had ever seen. He was stout and rotund, with no neck to speak of. His arms swung with a fidgety emptiness, and his legs seemed to bow grotesquely under his weight. But worse was his face: tiny specks of eyes that squinted straight down at his nose; thick lips that were pulled taut, revealing a row of crooked, yellow teeth; and thick, doughy cheeks, pocked with acne scars and liver spots. Tally jumped back in horror, and the man let out a loud, rather high laugh that set her hair on end.

"Get that a lot," he said, holding out a hand, obviously expecting Tally to shake it. Tally grimaced and pulled further into the cabin of the hover craft. "Right," he said, shrugging. "Come on, then." He grabbed Tally by the upper arm and began to pull her from the ship in a matter-of-fact sort of way. "Lots of work, and no time, no time at all." He laughed again at nothing.

Tally, meanwhile, was panicking. "Get off of me!" she screeched, tearing at the man's hand that clenched her arm. She looked back over her shoulder at the hover craft. The Pretty had closed the door and the engines had started up again. "No!" she screamed, jerking away from the man's grip. "Don't leave me here!" But as she lunged for the ship, it rocketed upward, sending Tally stumbling backwards as the air rippled over her. "Don't leave me!" she repeated, scrambling to her feet, but it was too late. The hover craft was only a speck against the distant mountains. "No!" Tally's legs collapsed beneath her and she sobbed. "Don't go." She choked on the words.

"It's alright," said the man's voice above her. "Don't worry." She felt his hand on her shoulder and she jerked away, still sobbing.

"Why did they leave me?" she wailed, her throat tightening. The cold dirt felt foreign and frightening under her folded legs and she was suddenly engulfed with a sense of utter loneliness, making the tears come harder and faster than before.

"Come on, now," said the man. "Everything will be alright. We'll get this all sorted out, don't you worry." With surprising strength, he heaved Tally to her feet and steered her to the nearest barrack.

Inside, it was warm and humid, and everything smelled of damp cardboard. Ugly, yellow plastic chairs were stacked against the wall and a large desk took up most of the right wall. But other than that, it was empty, nothing but tin walls and dim, naked light bulbs. A woman was sitting at the desk, and her feminine presence calmed Tally. But when the woman looked up, Tally jumped back; she was almost as hideous as the man. Her nose was long and thin, then fanned out over a lipless mouth. Huge, dark eyes blinked at Tally from under a screen of bangs.

"Youngblood, Tally?" the woman inquired blankly, either unaware of or ignoring Tally's horrified expression. Tally nodded. "Sit," the woman commanded. "That will do, Campton," she added, nodding to the man.

Campton inclined his head to the woman and retreated, the door closing behind him with a click of finality. Tally, who was too shaken not to obey, quickly sat in a plastic chair opposite the woman. She kept her eyes lowered, not wanting to look the hideous woman in the face.

"Tally?" the woman repeated. Tally nodded without looking up. "Do you know why you are here?" Tally shook her head.

"No. They just left me here."

The woman sighed and tapped the surface of the desk with a finger. "They never explain. Like to pretend that they're in a drama, all martyrs and heroes. No responsibility in the world today, none at all." She sighed again. "You are here," she said finally, "because you are ugly."

Tally looked up. "I know that. I've always been ugly."

The woman glared at her and clicked her tongue impatiently. "Listen to me," she said sharply. "You are ugly in a way you have never been before. You are broken. You cannot remain in proper society; you would be utterly shunned, ostracized. You are an outcast, Tally, and there is nothing you can do about it."

"But…" Tally stammered, feeling tears bubbling again. "It's just a mistake, isn't it? They can fix me. If they can fix a regular Ugly, why can't they -"

"Enough!" the woman cried suddenly, slamming her hand down on the table. Tally jumped and immediately fell silent. "If they could fix you, don't you think they would? Why send you here? No reason, so I suggest that you keep your mouth shut and accept that you must stay here. You are dead to them, do you understand that? Dead, Tally. That is the fate of all of us here."

Tally was sobbing again, tears pouring down her face. The woman clucked her tongue and offered Tally a tissue without grace, which she accepted, wiping her eyes and nose clumsily.

"I'm sure my parents would still love me," she managed. "Can't I go home with them?" When the woman shook her head, Tally sobbed even harder. "It's not fair!" she shrilled, but finally gave up, despair washing over her.

"There, there," the woman said unsympathetically. "We haven't got time for this. Stop crying and I'll show you to your new home."

Still sniffling, Tally followed the woman out of the barrack. Night had fallen and Tally wrapped her arms around herself against the chill air. Shivering, she shuffled along behind the woman, watching as dozens of barracks marched past beside her. Finally, the woman stopped at a barrack with the number "1407" painted across the door.

"Here we are," she said, tapping the door sharply with a knuckle. "One of our many youth units. I'm sure you'll fit right in, Miss Youngblood." She pressed her thumb to the sensor pad, and instantly, the door swung open without a sound. "Alright, in you go," she said, practically shoving Tally over the threshold. Tally stumbled inside and before she could even turn around, the door snapped shut, locking her in.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A/N: Oy, sorry for the long wait. I've been really busy lately, but I wanted to slap down a couple quick chapters for you guys, so here you go. They're more upbeat, cuz I know that what you guys have been calling for, so enjoy. I'll put up some better, more informative chapters as soon as all my exam and SAT crap is over. - Bellz

"Hey, a new one!" said a voice behind Tally. Instantly, Tally whipped around and was greeted with a terrible sight.

Bunk upon bunk of repulsively ugly faces stared down at her. The speaker was a boy, short and broad-shouldered, his limbs bulbous, as though he was walking on rounded stumps. His face was a balloon, his features stretched as though someone was holding a convex lens in front of him.

Tally screamed and fell backwards.

"Whoa," said the boy, walking (or rather, waddling) towards her. "No worries, we don't bite."

Someone laughed and called, "Some don't, anyways."

"Come on," said the boy, ignoring the comment and offering her his hand. "We're cool here."

"Get away from me!" Tally shrieked, her heart pounding. "Get away!" She pulled her legs to her chest and prayed that she had imagined that face.

Above her, Tally heard the air rustle as the boy kneeled down beside her and she pulled closer to the wall.

"I know how you feel," the boy said, so close to her ear that she jolted. "When I saw myself after the op, I was so scared that I fainted. I didn't wake up until I was already half-way here. No one explained anything to me. I never saw any of my friends or family again." He sighed. "But I made it. I'm here. I can help you, but you need to trust me."

Slowly, Tally looked up. The boy's face was still terrifying, but there was something, some sadness about it, that softened the blow. The boy stood and extended his hand again. Finally, still shaken, Tally accepted the hand and the boy pulled her to her feet with one surprisingly graceful movement. "I'm Wyle," he added.

"I'm Tally," she said after a pause. "Youngblood."

The boy flinched as if struck. "No need to use your surname here, Tally," he said solemnly. "Here, you just are. Anything you knew before is gone and you better just forget it." Tally stared at the boy's strange features and felt like crying again.

"It's gone?" she whispered after a long pause.

"Yeah," Wyle responded quietly. "You've got us, though." He waved a stubby hand around at the faces, and smiles blossomed, crooked ones, wide ones, gap-toothed ones. "We know how hard it is."

"Damn straight," someone said.

"Okay," Tally said after a long silence. "I just have one question, though," she added after a moment.

"Yeah?"

She attempted a watery smile. "Where's my bed?" she giggled, then, her face crumpling, she burst into tears.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Tally's bunkmates were twins named Bren and Torin, but everyone called them Whistle and Hiccup.

"Because of the way we snore," Whistle informed her with a gap-toothed grin. Tally grimaced.

"But don't worry," Hiccup interjected with a giggle. "I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"Maybe," the other amended, and both fell into hysterics.

"They've been here a while," another girl added in an undertone as she passed by. "But they're harmless, so don't worry." Tally grimaced again. If the anguish of isolation didn't kill her, then the potential psychosis of her bedmates would. She pulled her pillow over her head and groaned.

The twins had been named accurately and all night long, Tally stared at the bunk above her, wide awake, wanting to scream. Whistles chased hiccup after hiccup, then there would be a moment of silence and they would switch, hiccup, whistle, hiccup, whistle.

"Make it stop!" Tally hissed, longing for her own bed back at her dorm where it was silent.

To pass the time, Tally thought about all that had happened. Had it only been this morning that she had been sitting in the hospital waiting-room? It seemed like weeks ago. Fatigue and worry clouded the memory, yet the emotions were still bright and sharp in her mind, like layers of glass magnifying light. And the doctor. He had spoken to her only a few hours ago. She laughed bitterly at the thought of him and someone grunted in their sleep. Ninety-nine percent success rate, her ass. She looked around at all the people around her and did the math. There were at least a hundred people in this room and more than five thousand barracks (she had asked someone before bed). Over five hundred thousand people. The number boggled Tally's mind. It was over five percent of the world's population of ten million. Although five percent sounded small, it was well over the doctor's statistics, which, come to think of it, only included "minor" defects.

Minor defects. Tally imagined her own horrible face and couldn't possibly begin to conceive something less "minor." The thought made Tally sick and she hoped that one day she would be able to see that doctor again, an army of Super-Uglies behind her. For added fun, she armed her imaginary army with imaginary scalpels and toyed with the concept of giving the doctor a taste of his own medicine. She laughed aloud at her own joke, pleased with the mental image of the doctor getting his stupid Pretty face rearranged.

The twins' noises no longer bothering her, Tally sank into very unlady-like dreams involving the doctor, a naked-mole rat, and a facial transplant.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Tally awoke to strange silence.

"Where am I?" she thought, blinking. The light in the room was not familiar and she threw her blanket off, sitting up. The air was charged with life and she knew she was not home. She blinked again, hard, and rubbed her face.

Surprisingly, she found pain, her flesh screaming in protest. Then, with sudden clarity, she remembered everything. She gasped and opened her eyes, looking around for the first time. Beside her, curled up in a double C were the twins, their breathing finally quiet. Turning the other way, she could see the rows and rows of bunks lining the cement walls. Yellow light bled through the waxy windowpanes, giving the room a strange, stormy color that made Tally hold her breath.

Not wanting to move, she laid back down, staring at the bunk above her. It was like being in someone else's home. She didn't know what to do. She wondered to herself if she should get up or stay down. Finally, she decided that she didn't want to make a wrong move and tried to fall back asleep.

It was impossible. The unfamiliar light kept her awake and Tally was reminded of the time she had slept over at a friend's house as a littlie. She had woken early, well before anyone else, and had experienced the same feeling of displacement, of blunt intrusion.

She sighed and turned over. She was three bunks up, about halfway up the wall, and she could see everyone in the row over. One boy in the bunk below hers turned over and let out a loud snore. The kid next to him groaned and pressed his face into his pillow. A few bunks up, a girl with long braids coughed and flipped over on her mattress. Her leg slid over the edge of the bunk and hung there, dangling, fifteen feet up. Tally watched with tense interest for a moment before the girl stretched and pulled her leg back up.

Then, quiet. Tally scanned the bunks for any signs that someone was ready to get up and relieve her of the duty of being the only one awake, but it was still very early and no one seemed inclined to leave the warmth of sleep yet. Frustrated and being to feel uncomfortable, Tally pulled the blankets back up and closed her eyes.

Then, what seemed like moments later, someone was shaking her awake.

"Come on, greenie. Get up!" It was Bren. Or maybe Torin. Tally stretched and opened one eye.

"Hmm? What time is it?"

"Almost nine. Better get up. Roll call is in, like, fifteen minutes and they don't like it when people sleep in."

"Mm." Tally groaned and curled back into the warmth her body had created, but it wasn't as comfortable. "Why do we have to get up so early?" she moaned, clearing her throat.

"We have work. Come on, I'm gonna get in trouble." The twin poked her and shimmied down the ladder to the ground.

"Work?" Tally sat up and pulled the blanket up with her, trying to keep out the cold. "What work?" But she got up nevertheless, shivering in her pajamas.

Below, the ground was teeming with people. The barrack was quite large and split into sections. On each end was a bathroom with five rows of bunks climbing the walls. Then, another five bunks running the opposite wall, then another bathroom, and so on, all the way down. Between them, on the back walls, were doors leading to the kitchens, dressing rooms, and the commons. People swarmed in and out in various states of dress and cleanliness. As Tally stepped from the ladder, a boy in pajama bottoms brushed past her with a toothbrush in his mouth. Tally stepped back in surprise, unsure where to go. She slunk against the bunks, edging towards the bathroom.

"Hey! Tally, over here!" Relieved, Tally turned to see Wyle beckoning towards her. She rushed towards him.

"Lot of people," she said unnecessarily, waving a hand.

"Yeah," Wyle agreed cheerfully. "Bit confusing at first, so let me show you how things work. Come here." He waved to Tally to follow him and she stumbled behind him into the bathroom. The room was low with toilets on one side and a row of sinks on the other.

"The showers are upstairs," Wyle explained. "You can check it out later. Here." He motioned to a small panel on the wall. "This is a requisition pad. If you want something, you just touch the panel and select what you need." He demonstrated, pressing a pudgy hand to the greasy black screen and smiling as it blinked to life.

"Good morning. Please make selection," it beeped. Wyle pressed a small icon and the panel blinked again.

"Now dispensing," the machine announced and a moment later, a slot beneath the panel opened and dropped a pair of small, pink toothpaste pills into the tray. Gratefully, Tally took the tablets and chewed them until her mouth felt clean. Then, quickly, she washed her still-tender face and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"You can shower later," Wyle said. "Here, we gotta get dressed quick. Roll call is in five minutes and they like everybody to be all ready to go when they get here. Wyle led Tally to one of the small rooms between the bunks. Inside were more panels. This time, Tally reached out and touched one.

"Good morning. Please make selection," it chirped and Tally saw icons depicting different color coveralls.

"The youth units get blue," Wyle explained, reaching over Tally and pressing the icon. "Makes us easy to see against the dirt."

"Size?" the panel asked, and Tally quickly pressed small.

"Now dispensing. Please wait." A rack of coveralls screeched by and finally extended a metal arm, the coveralls swaying. Tally took them, then noticed that Wyle was still there, getting his own clothes.

"Um," Tally said, but Wyle didn't seem to notice. He undressed and put on his coveralls right there.

"No privacy here," he said as he walked past. "See you at roll call."

Feeling a bit sick, Tally quickly stripped off her clothes and pulled on her coveralls as fast as she could. The material was heavy and rough, not at all like the smooth, seamless clothing that Pretties had. On the front was a patch that said, "E.I. Youth Unit 1407." There were two wide side pockets and no collar. Feeling strange in her new garments, Tally hurried back out the main barrack for roll call.

Again, Wyle waved her over. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Itchy."

"You get used to that."

"Hey, Wyle," she said suddenly. "What does E.I. stand for?" She gestured to the patch on her chest.

Wyle blinked, and then smiled bitterly.

"Error Isolation," he said finally, and laughed without humor.

A/N: Please review. I'm interested to really hear what you guys think of this so far and what you'd like to see happen. - Bellz


End file.
